


Stark Styles Salon

by love_in_the_stars



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bruce still has anger issues, Clint is still a snark king, M/M, Misunderstandings, Natasha is still badass, Pepper is still the one who runs everything, Steve is still a proper gentleman, The Beauty Salon AU You Never Knew You Wanted, Thor still talks strangely, Tony has no self preservation in any universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-22
Updated: 2012-08-22
Packaged: 2017-11-12 15:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_in_the_stars/pseuds/love_in_the_stars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark is rather fond of all his employees, they're a collection of unusual people in one place and he feels kind of like he belongs with them. There is only one of them who doesn't seem to like him in the slightest.</p><p>Too bad it's the one Tony's sort of in love with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stark Styles Salon

**Author's Note:**

> Written because I saw the Cosmo cover with Scarlett on it and this popped into my head.  
> No regrets though.

Tony didn’t actually have to appear at his establishment more than a few days a week, if that. He couldn’t help it though because his employees were fascinating and amusing. They treated him like one of them rather than ‘the Boss’, likely because Pepper was the driving force behind Stark Styles Salon and they all knew it. So yeah, he spent hours there pretty much every day. There was one day in particular he refused to miss going in and that was Thursday because that was Thor’s day. And Thor was the most interesting client they’ve ever had.  
  
Thor was new to the country, having moved to New York from Norway with his brother after a falling out with the family. Honestly, Tony wasn’t sure of much more than that because he found it difficult to understand when Thor was speaking. The man had a thick accent and tied english words together in ways that was supposed to make sense but rarely did. They haven’t yet met the brother but Thor always had something to say about him. Anyway, Thor came to Stark Styles Salon to have his hair washed and tended because the man did actually have a glorious head of golden blond hair and hair like that took upkeep. It didn’t hurt either that Thor was practically the definition of a hunk. He was tall, broad and packed with muscle so yeah, Tony loved Thursday.  
  
Which, luckily enough, was today. In anticipation, Tony left his penthouse a full hour early, grabbed two Starbuck’s coffees in preparation and headed to his Salon. Considering it was still an hour after opening time(What? He didn’t like early mornings, okay?), the others were already there and Tony walked in to Natasha doing her own nails a biting red color and Clint applying a woman’s face. Knowing better by now then to say anything to the redhead who could wield clippers like a murder weapon, Tony waved to Clint and headed for the unofficial breakroom. He had already drained the first coffee and dropped the cup into the trash right off the bat before looking around the room. At the moment only Bruce was there, sitting in front of a color palette and looking mostly asleep.  
  
“Yo, Bruce? You skip sleeping again last night?” Tony asked, smirking a bit as he leaned on the table next to him.  
  
Banner blinked owlishly and groaned. “Shut up. As if you don’t suffer the same as me.” Which was true. Insomnia was a bitch and they were both cursed with it. Didn’t mean Tony couldn’t tease a little bit.  
  
“Yeah, only difference is that I’m far more prepared.” He said, shoving the last tall cup of coffee into Bruce’s face and watching as he lit up and took it. Tony accepted the appreciative moan as his due thanks and headed back out of the room. Pepper had to be here somewhere and he hadn’t seen Steve yet either, which meant he was either late(hah, as if!) or he was hiding in the back room again with all the hair stuff.   
  
A quick peek into the office confirmed that Pepper was in and he ducked out again before she could notice and force him to sign papers for the next three hours. Sometimes, owning a business was just too much like work. Which was why he had Pepper, she did almost everything. Pepper was the greatest.  
  
With only one more employee to check on, Tony headed into the back room. It was a rather spacious area despite the clutter of hair products and make-up and other beauty things, Tony honestly didn't pay much attention to their stocks. Again, that was more Pepper's thing...she should probably get a raise, he mused.  
  
He found Steve sitting on an unopened shampoo crate with a notebook on his lap and a pencil in one hand. The blond styler was frowning down at the page but whatever was prompting that look Tony couldn’t see from his angle.  
  
“Hey, Steve!” He called in greeting and Steve startled, snapping the notebook closed in the most suspicious move Tony had ever seen.   
  
“Morning, Mr. Stark.”   
  
Tony was going to smile, amused by the previous look on Steve’s face but the greeting pushed the emotion away before it could grow. Because for some reason, Steve didn’t seem to like him very much and Tony just couldn’t figure out why. He refused to call Tony by his first name no matter how many times Tony asked him to. It was...painful. He hated being called Mr. Stark because that was his father, not him, and his relationship with his father was not exactly a good one.  
  
“Morning. What were you drawing?” Tony asked, trying to make conversation before Steve inevitably ran away from him.   
  
“Just some, uh, doodles. Stuff to pass the time before Thor gets here.”  
  
Tony nodded and opened his mouth to say something, what he wasn’t sure yet since he usually spoke without thinking, which was probably one of the many reasons behind Steve not liking him, when Steve stood up and spoke first. Excusing himself to go prepare for Thor’s appointment, Steve took his notebook and all but rushed out of the back room.  
  
Tony let him go, stepping aside and making a wordless noise of understanding, only to sigh once the door closed behind the blond. He just couldn’t understand it. The others got on with him just fine. Tony was good friends with Bruce, got on well with Clint and was able to exist around Natasha without bodily harm but Steve just couldn’t stand him. It was disheartening and painful and other emotionally negative stuff like that because, of course, that was just Tony’s luck. It only figured that he’d crush on someone who both didn’t like him and was way too good for him.  
  
Typical.  
  
Still, Tony did his best not to let it bother him too much(wasted effort, really) and instead went back out to see if Clint would be willing to play a game of ‘Bait the Banner Until he Breaks Something’. At least until Thor got there because the only thing more amusing than Thor was watching Bruce in a rage.  
  
~~~~  
  
Well, that was not to be one of Tony’s best ideas.   
  
As it turned out, Thor had a bit of an anger issue himself, so when Bruce threw a chair through the front window, nearly taking out Thor on the sidewalk, Thor retailed with booming war cries and a rather impressive offense with wielding a curling iron. It was chaotic and as if a war between gods had broken out in Tony’s salon, especially when someone made the mistake of accidentally causing Natasha to break a nail.  
  
After that, it was all bets off and every man for himself. Which led to the discovery that Tony lacked any form of a self-preservation instinct when he failed to duck a hurled hairdryer and instead took the impact with his head. Definitely not a proud moment of his, not that he would remember it later what with the mild concussion and all.  
  
Instead he had to hear it all second hand from Pepper in between lectures and scoldings for not having a better reaction time and that it was his own fault anyway for baiting Bruce and getting Clint into it as well. His punishment was to take several days off to heal and temporary banishment from the salon during that time. It bothered Tony more than he thought it would to not be able to go and eventually realized it was because he missed the others. Which was unusual because while he was all for having acquaintances and the like, he tended to avoid getting too close to others. Friends were a weakness he couldn’t allow himself to have and generally couldn’t hold onto anyway.  
  
So, it was even more of a shock to him when Natasha, Bruce and Clint would randomly stop by his place for a while each day, seemingly after work. Following an incredibly sincere apology from Bruce that made Tony feel an absolute ass, he came to the realization that somehow they went from being his amusing employees to actual friends. And that just, he didn’t even know what to do with that. For now he decided to ignore that particular discovery and made a mental note to be a bit less of an overbearing ass and cut down on the teasing.   
  
One thing that hadn't changed and that Tony couldn’t stop thinking about, was the obvious dislike that Steve still held for him. Although the others stopped in pretty much every day Tony was exiled, Steve never once showed up. At first he wanted to ask but then decided he’d rather not know if Steve just couldn’t make it or straight up never wanted to come. Eventually though, some of that must have shown through because at one point Bruce pulled him aside and apologized.  
  
“What for?”  
  
Bruce twisted his hands a bit nervously and sighed. “We’ve been trying to get Steve to come see you but he’s pretty stubborn.”  
  
That was true. Tony was perfectly aware that Steve was the definition of immovable object and gave a shrug. “If the guy doesn’t want to be around don’t make him. It’s not going to hurt my feelings or anything.”  
  
Bruce just gave him a look like he knew he was lying and backed off, which was good. Tony didn’t need anyone’s pity, especially not if they knew just how much Tony actually did care. There wasn’t anything he could do about it though so Tony just pushed the whole thing aside and buried deep everything he could. While it may not be a healthy form of management it was the only thing he knew how to do and it worked for everything else in his life so far.  
  
Upon his return to the salon, Tony gave Thor a formal apology and explained that the situation had been his own fault, to which Thor accepted with extreme grace and a hearty back slap. According to the blond that day had been the most fun he’d had in awhile anyway, excepting the whole brain injury thing on Tony’s end. So things went mostly back to normal. Tony still showed up more days then he didn’t and still mocked most everyone but to a much lesser degree. The only real change occurred in Tony’s interaction with Steve.  
  
He figured that if nothing he’d done after all this time could get Steve to like him then it was probably time to back off. Tony didn’t like to admit defeat but...well, he knew that some people just couldn’t stand him and that was that. So he stopped seeking Steve out, spoke to the man only in polite conversation and never instigated the blond. It was a textbook employee-employer relationship that Tony prided himself on being able to maintain. It was easier then he thought it would be, especially if he forced himself not to think about Steve ever and in any way shape or form.  
  
And if Clint sometimes got this confused and frustrated look on his face whenever he and Steve were in the same room together but clearly not speaking or Bruce would occasionally just seek Tony out to talk about random crap as if to keep him distracted or Natasha was less homicidal toward him then usual, well, so what? Tony was fine, okay, he didn’t need their concern or whatever it was. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t take it, of course, because a less stabby Natasha was always a good thing in his book. So what if the guy he was crushing on could care less about him? Tony could handle it just fine, he wasn’t some teenaged girl. He wasn’t quite that pathetic.   
  
Still, he was shocked and damnably hopeful when Steve cornered him one day just before closing time and asked to talk to him outside. Tony agreed, naturally, because one thing he hadn’t learned yet was how to resist Steve’s blue eyes. So, with the other’s suspicious or curious eyes following them, Steve led Tony outside and they stood, somewhat awkwardly across from each other.  
  
Tony would say something just to break the silence but couldn’t begin to think of anything and besides, Steve was the one who started this. Finally, the blond seemed to pull himself together and looked straight over Tony’s left shoulder, a pitiful fake attempt at meeting his eyes.  
  
“Mr. Stark. Have I...done something to anger you?” Steve asked eventually, sounding unusually tentative.  
  
Tony, on the other hand, could only blink at him. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”  
  
Steve frowned and jerked his shoulders in a short shrug. “It just seems like, I mean. You stopped talking to me.”  
  
"Uh, not really. I just figured that I should stop bothering you so much. You clearly don't like me so I'm not going to be the kind of employer who harasses their workers until they quit." Tony gave a shrug, figuring Steve would appreciate the consideration.  
  
Instead, Steve stared at him and merely looked befuddled. "What? Why would you think I don't like you!"  
  
"Because you don't. I think it's fairly obvious when you refuse to use my name and act like having a conversation with me is something to run away from. I'm not an idiot, you know." Tony very pointedly didn't mention the fact Steve wouldn't visit him when all the others did either.  
  
"It's not like that!"  
  
To Tony's surprise, Steve actually looked upset and for a moment he couldn't figure out why. "Look, Steve, it's okay. You're not fired or anything, I promise. So you don't like me, it's fine. I'm rather used to it, actually. I don’t really have what anyone would call a winning personality.” Not with the way he wielded sarcasm and mocking words like protective weapons.  
  
“Oh, geeze. No. It’s not, I like you! I do.” Steve insisted, stepping closer to Tony as if eliminating the distance would help get across whatever point he was going for.  
  
“You do?” Tony repeated, unable to hide his suspicious doubt.  
  
“Yes!”  
  
“You have a really funny way of showing it then. You don’t treat the others anything like you do me.”  
  
“No, I know. I just...it’s different with you.”  
  
“Oh. So you like me but not quite as much as you do the others. That’s actually a good thing. I’m good with that.” It was slightly better than not being liked at all, at least there was some room for possible improvement. Not that Tony appreciated the false hope.  
  
Steve blew out a gusty sigh and pressed his hands over his face, frustration obvious in his posture. “No.” He mumbled through his palms before dropping his hands and looking Tony directly in the eyes. Steve’s face was set in a form of determination but also blushing a rather fetching red shade and Tony found himself speechless, torn between confusion and rushing attraction.  
  
“You’re misunderstanding. I like you  more than the others. A lot more. In ways that are extremely inappropriate between a worker and their employer.”  
  
No. Way.  
  
Tony turned those words over in his mind several times and got the same conclusion from them no matter what way he tossed it. But that wasn’t possible. He’d never actually entertained the idea that Steve could return his infatuation. "What? What kind of inappropriate are we talking here? 'Dinner and a movie date' inappropriate  or 'explosive orgams in my bed' inappropriate?"  
  
Steve's face darkened even more and he averted his eyes, hands fisted at his sides. "Er, both?"  
  
"A full blown relationship, then. You want to have an actual relationship with me?!" Tony couldn't help the emphasis he put on the last word, praying he was somehow misunderstanding this whole conversation.  
  
Looking confused, Steve just nodded and Tony shook his head. “Okay. You do know that you’re way too good for me though, right? Just so I know you’ve been warned.”  
  
“What? Who told you that!” Steve demanded with a frown, eyes narrowing.  
  
“No one told me, it’s just rather evident. I mean, I have issues. A lot of issues.”  
  
“I know that. You’re here everyday, remember. I don’t care about that. Everyone has issues of some kind, it doesn’t mean anything.”  
  
“Oh.” Tony said, staring at Steve, who stared right back. “So, can I kiss you now or is that some third/fourth date thing?”  
  
Steve flushed again and nervously rubbed at the back of his neck. “It’s not a date thing, no, but...um, you are my boss. I’m not sure that we should...”  
  
Tilting his head to one side thoughtfully, Tony watched him. “You want a relationship with me but won’t go out with me because I’m your boss, is that right?”  
  
Steve just nodded and Tony hummed. Then he turned for the door to the salon and opened it, sticking his head inside. “PEPPER!”  
  
Stepping aside to see through the newly repaired window, Steve watched Clint and Natasha stare at Tony like he had two heads before Pepper appeared.  
  
“Why are you yelling, Tony, Jesus. What? I’m busy doing all your paperwork, even though I don’t get paid enough for it.”  
  
“Pepper, dear, do we have a fraternization policy?”  
  
Pepper raised one finely groomed brow and rolled her eyes. “No, Tony, we do not. If we did then I would have to fire our makeup and nail artists and find new ones, which is way too difficult.”  
  
Tony blinked and Steve reflexively looked over at Clint than to Natasha but as usual neither of their faces gave anything away. “Cool.” Tony said after a moment. “Thanks.”  
  
He backed up to let the door close and turned to look at Steve, grinning. “See? Completely legal for us to date! Can we kiss now?”  
  
Steve opened his mouth and then closed it again. He was still blushing but also starting to smile, just a bit. Steve looked around and stepped forward quickly to catch Tony’s wrist and pull him away from the door and the window. Then, Tony found himself with his back to the brick wall of his business and Steve’s mouth against his. It was a hot but tame kiss as Steve kept his tongue firmly in his own mouth and pulled away after only a moment, lingering just enough to suck briefly on Tony’s lower lip. “Pick you up at seven tonight, Tony?”  
  
Tony blinked and licked his lips before giving Steve a smirk of filthy promise. “Absolutely.” He purred, loving the way his name sounded dropping from Steve’s mouth. So, so much better than Mr. Stark.  
  
With that, Steve gave Tony’s captured wrist one more squeeze before letting go and disappearing back inside the salon. Just before the door swung closed, Tony caught wind of Clint giving a wolf whistle and used the wall he was still leaning against for support as he laughed. He stayed outside for a few minutes more, grinning at nothing and ignoring the strange looks passing people gave him for it.  
  
Screw them. He had a date tonight, damn it.

**Author's Note:**

> Tony Stark: Owner  
> Clint Barton: Make-up, applications and sales  
> Natasha: Nails, Coloring and care  
> Bruce Banner: Hair coloring  
> Pepper Potts: Finances  
> Steve Rogers: Hair styling/cutting  
> Thor: Client


End file.
